Buying a New Car

[bumoftheday]

I am looking at upgrading from my 2005 Mazda 3 SP23. I've done plenty of homework, driven plenty of cars and am undecided on what I should get. I just want some other opinions to tell me I'm not crazy.

To give you a little background, I am in my early 20's, single with no kids. I have a 25 mile highway commute each way. I want to stay in the ballpark of $35k, but spending less is always good. The top level is I want a comfortable daily driver that I can have fun with when I demand it.

When I set out on the journey, originally set out about a year ago but decided to buy a house first, my requirements were simple. I wanted a RWD or AWD sedan with a manual transmission, decent horsepower (230+) decent handling and a pretty good feature set. After looking, I came to the conclusion that I would probably get a new car because it's so hard to find manual transmission cars on used lots. When I did, they almost never had the color combination I wanted, no white or gold cars, first choice of black, and no beige interiors.

My first choice was the BMW 335. It's a great car and I love it. After looking and driving it, it just doesn't seem with the 45k price tag and it would be pushing me into more than I want to spend on a car. If I got a 328 optioned the way I want, it would only be a couple grand cheaper than the 335, definitely not worth it.

Next I looked at an Audi A4. Like the car, but I just didn't love the car. It's hard to say what, but I just didn't love it, especially compared to the 335 or G35.

Lexus IS250 not enough power and you can't get an IS350 with a stick.

Infiniti G35 Loved this car. Not as good as a 335, but $10k less for a comparably equipped car. Has all the features I want and some extras. I love the intelligent key. It feels like a compromise though, knowing that the 335 is out there and I would buy knowing I'm buying a poor mans BMW, but is it worth the 10k? These cars seem to drop in value pretty quick after you drive them off the lot, but hold price decent value after that. I've looked for a slightly used and the only one I found with a MT was rolling on 22" rims and I will never buy a car with upsized rims(don't get me started on this one, I could go on for hours). Also, rumors are the 09 sedan will be coming with the 3.7L engine as seen currently on the coupe.

Thats where the initial bid of car shopping ended. Recently I've expanded my horizons a little and added the following:

Infiniti M35: Found a certified pre-owned (100k warranty through Infiniti) 07 with <10k miles for about $10k less than new sticker. More luxuries, but has an auto tranny.

2005 Audi A4 3.0 Found with 22k miles and $22k. Pretty loaded up and much cheaper than I was looking. Happened to be the only A4 stick on the Audi lot. Prestine condition for an 05. Is it really worth the upgrade to a car that is already 3 years old, no newer than the car I already drive, but a nicer car with less miles.

Accord Coupe V6-6sp. FWD and a coupe, going against two of my initial requirements. The drive was surprisingly good. It had better backseat room than my 3 sedan by far. Interior quality is top notch, although not as stylish as the G35. Had most of the features I wanted, although it did not have Bluetooth or an Intelligent Key, which is not a breaking point. Cheaper new than most of the other cars, but still 29k for an Accord. I could be happy with this, but do I compromise what I set out for?

WRX: Drove it and liked the drive. Not as comfortable a car as the cars above, but a very sophisticated AWD system and one of the higher fun to drive factors. Wish the steering wheel went up further, my knees were relatively close to the wheel with the seat all the way down. Looked at Legacy's while there and was not impressed, although I did not drive one.

I know it's hard to suggest without knowing me and what I look for in a car. I've done all my research and
I've driven all the cars up there except the IS and the M35, although I will probably drive the M35 within the week assuming it has a couple options I want.

Any other options you guys can think of? Thanks in advance. I'm in the market now, but I'm in no rush to buy.

[Yakuza70]

If you can wait, the new BMW 1 series looks pretty sweet.

YouTube - New BMW 1 Series Coupe Driving Footage

[Jscort98]

Cadillac CTS maybe. It's the 2008 car of the year so it's gotta be somewhat decent.

[jetset4me]

Have to go with the Cadillac CTS

[jswift2000]

Did you look at a 2008 acura tl? I have a 2007 tl and its a fantastic car.

[Mark77]

Well, the new CTS is alot better than the first version, but too heavy and the manual transmission isn't fun to use at all from what I have heard. The BMW 1 series looks really interesting.

[weekendwarrior]

"2005 Audi A4 3.0 Found with 22k miles and $22k. Pretty loaded up and much cheaper than I was looking. Happened to be the only A4 stick on the Audi lot. Prestine condition for an 05. Is it really worth the upgrade to a car that is already 3 years old, no newer than the car I already drive, but a nicer car with less miles"

This depends on whether or not you are financing it. I would hate to buy a 3 year old car, finance it for 4 or 5 years, and it be 7 or 8 years old by the time you get it paid for. If you aren't financing, or are only financing for 2 years, I guess it isn't a bad deal. I just know that if I was paying for a car for 4-5 years, I wouldn't want it to be 7 or 8 years old by the time I was through paying for it.

[suki22]

I looked at the 335 , Acura TL and the G35. I liked the 335 but felt the price tag was steep. I liked the TL but the front wheel drive was a factor for me. I went with the G35 and after 7 months of ownership...I love the car. I paid around $35K including tax and title. I did not get navi or sunroof options........

[eddie926]

Have you considered the VW R32?

Not the prestige of an Audi or Infiniti, etc., but a serious blast to drive with AWD, DSG transmission and paddle shifters.

R32 Home

For less money, the GTI or GLI are both nice too, with the 2.0 turbo setup and DSG. They don't have as much HP out of the box as you noted but can be modded easily to bump the stock HP up. You can also get the DSG on them.

Sounds like you're looking for something more upscale, but thought I'd mention them anyway.

[bumoftheday]

Originally Posted by eddie926

Have you considered the VW R32?

Not the prestige of an Audi or Infiniti, etc., but a serious blast to drive with AWD, DSG transmission and paddle shifters.

Not a big fan of flappy paddle gearboxes (Jeremy Clarkson FTW). I know that they are faster than a stick most of the time, I like the driving engagement a stick provides. It adds to the fun factor of a car.

Originally Posted by Yakuza70

If you can wait, the new BMW 1 series looks pretty sweet.

YouTube - New BMW 1 Series Coupe Driving Footage

Originally Posted by Jscort98

Cadillac CTS maybe. It's the 2008 car of the year so it's gotta be somewhat decent.

The CTS and the 1 series both move into the 40k range when decently equipped. I'm really trying to stay at 35k or less.

Originally Posted by jswift2000

Did you look at a 2008 acura tl? I have a 2007 tl and its a fantastic car.

FWD is a huge factor to me. If I'm going to be stepping up to that price range, FWD is out. The Accord is probably out for the same reason, although it less expensive than most of the other cars on the list.

My front runner right now is the G35, although if I do end up deciding on it, I will probably wait until the 09's come out and get it with the 3.7 engine or pick up an 08 heavily discounted due to the new car being out.

Thanks again for your advice and keep it coming.

[BigJimZ28]

Mustang GT convertable

sounds like it fits your requirements

[NSXTASY]

Mitsu EVO or WRX STI. Both in your range, however, the new gens are a bit ugly. Maybe if you can find a new 07' it would be something to consider.

To me, g35's are so...blah. I know you already said no to FWD but the 08 or 07 TL-S is a nice sedan for ~38k.